Most chess games are not won, they are lost! and most players don't have a clue as to why they lost a particular game. They may blame a oversight, a surprise move, a blunder, time pressure, etc, etc. There is little help in chess literature that will give the improving player much of an idea of why he is constantly losing his games and how he can minimize his opponent's advantages and maximize his own.

The real culprit may be a series of errors, some mistakes of attitude, some mistakes of strategy, some of tactics, but mostly just thoroughly knowning chess basics, is usually the main reason. Most chess books are written only to help the prospective winner understand why he won. Little is written about unpopular subjects as the principles and tactics of defense, or pawn structure. Just look at any chess store and see what the bulk of chess books are. You will quickly see that it is mostly about openings. Why is this? Its because most are not interested in defense, they just want the excitement of attack and this is what they want to know more about. How to attack in the openings and quickly win the game.

They don't want to know the ideas behind the chess openings, they just want to know how to play them. They are not interested in reading about how to make a plan or how masters calculate to make plans. They are not interested in endgame theory because they are not interested in playing a game that long where it will be necessary to play a endgame. Most players today simply do not have the patiences to play long games or the patiences to study chess basics. Like little kids they are in a hurry to play a quick game win it and go on to another. Improving ones chess skills are not important to them. Many will give the excuse that they have other interests that are more important. Never will they admit that they simply do not have the patiences to study chess basics. But these are the same people, who complain that they suck at chess, and they do, and they forever will until their attention span increases, and they begin to realize that they never are going to improve unless they do. They are not listening now and maybe they never will.

Most players think that they already know chess basics, so why spend the time learning them again, but if they are given a quiz on the chess basics, as Jeremy Silman, a world class chess teacher, writer and player has discovered, fail miserly and lack the understanding of basic fundamentals.

He has discovered that most players have problems with the following subjects:

1. A lack of understanding concerning the true purpose of the opening.
2. No knowledge of planing and the thinking processes that make it happen.
3. No understanding of the most elementary endings.
4. How all three of these subjects are closely connected.

So if you want to stop losing so many games get your brain out of the garage and start using it today to study the basics!